She did say Wednesday afternoon, however, that four Division I schools in the state of Illinois have reached out to the 2012-13 Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year. She also made it clear that her son’s decision to leave WMU had nothing to do with the school or Broncos program.

“There are four Illinois schools that have reached out this morning. I’m going to leave it at that,” Lynda Paul said during a phone interview with MLive.com.

Darius Paul, a skilled, 6-foot-8 forward from Gurnee, Ill., was granted an unconditional release from WMU. His decision to transfer came as a surprise to his Broncos coaches and teammates, who met Tuesday at University Arena. In fact, Paul said that he had already signed an apartment lease in Kalamazoo and was ready to return for his sophomore season, but recently decided to go a different route.

Lynda Paul said that her son’s decision to leave WMU is based on his desire to play at a higher level. She said her son and family really respect his Broncos coaches and teammates and enjoyed his overall experience in Kalamazoo, and that it was a very tough decision.

“What if ESPN calls you? You get your resume ready and based on your production, based on your preparation, you feel like you’re ready,” Lynda Paul said hypothetically. “ … I’m actually pretty proud of him for making that decision. That’s a tough decision. You don’t just leave a place you love without knowing where you’re going or what you’re going to do.

“We’re pretty astute basketball people here – we’re not going to let him go somewhere where it would be a situation where it’s not better than the Western Michigan basketball situation. That would be crazy; that would be absolutely crazy,” said Lynda Paul, who coached Darius on AAU teams from his fifth-grade through eighth-grade years and played basketball at Ball State herself.

Darius Paul’s older brother, Brandon – a former Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois – recently completed his career at University of Illinois and has chosen an agent to pursue his NBA dreams.

Lynda Paul said there is no specific timeline on Darius choosing his next school, but that she and her husband, Cliff, would like for him to enroll at summer school wherever he decides to go.

“I thought Darius developed quite nicely (at WMU),” she said. “My biggest point of contentment is how (WMU coach Steve Hawkins) put Darius in a position to be successful. He knew what his skill set was and he put him in a position to be successful and for that I’m very, very grateful. We chose a good one in Coach Hawk. … I think it was a win-win-win situation for everybody. The result was a MAC West championship. Everybody won; now we’re trying to turn the page. That’s what life is about (is new opportunities).”

Darius Paul

Darius Paul averaged 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and led all MAC freshmen in scoring and rebounding throughout the season. The Broncos won the MAC West championship and advanced to the semifinals of both the conference tournament and College Basketball Invitational.

Paul posted five double-doubles during his freshman season. His best game statistically was a 28-point, 12-rebound, three-assist effort when he took over during a key 65-62 win at Toledo.

“He is paying attention to Brandon’s career. He’s not really that kid who is not really tuned in,” Lynda Paul said about Darius. “I think the tournament at South Florida, that actually grew him up a little bit. He played very well against high-major guys. Then he had another good game against Michigan and North Carolina State and said, ‘Wait a minute. These guys are really not better than me.’ He has not articulated that to me, but based on some of his comments and behavior, he’s realized, ‘These guys are not really better than me,’ that he’s really got something.”

Paul had 14 points and eight rebounds against South Florida. At Michigan, he had a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one block. Paul put up another double-double at N.C. State with 12 points, 10 boards and three assists.

“I’m just telling all the people who call, we’re looking for a high-major program where Darius can be an elite player; where he’ll have an opportunity to be an elite player,” Lynda Paul said. “He’s 6-9, 225 (pounds); he’s got 4 or 5 percent body fat. He’s already got an elite body. He’s just looking for a place to be an elite player.

Lynda Paul noted that her son committed to WMU after being recruited by Larry Farmer and Rick Carter. Farmer left for North Carolina State and Carter for Missouri, and she said that her son had to forge relationships with new assistant coaches.

"You have to take a leap of faith and that's basically what he is doing," Lynda Paul said. "It was a really difficult decision for him. We tried to guide him by stressing the pros and cons of this decision. ... He just feels like he needs a mulligan."